Rubio helps push immigration bill to passage

In an eloquent closing argument for immigration reform, Sen. Marco Rubio told his colleagues on Thursday the story of how his parents came to South Florida from Cuba in 1956 and struggled to find work, learn English and “give their children the life they once wanted for themselves.”

Rubio’s last and strongest pitch for passing a sweeping immigration bill was his own family story, one he has told endlessly in his home state of Florida and cited frequently while trying to rouse support from fellow Republicans.

His efforts -- and those of many others, including immigrants and their advocates in Florida -- paid off when the Senate passed the bill 68 to 32.

Along the way, Rubio pushed for tighter border security while defending measures that would give millions of people who are living in this country illegally – including an estimated 825,000 in Florida – a chance to avoid deportation, become legal residents and, after a 13-year process, become citizens.

U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, a Democrat from Florida, also backed the bill, calling it "a balanced, bipartisan and common-sense step in the right direction.”

For Rubio, a potential presidential candidate, passage of the Senate bill on Thursday was a signature achievement, though it faces a tough test in the House and drew opposition from many Republicans and some tea party allies back home.

“Here in America, generations of unfulfilled dreams will finally come to pass,” he predicted.

“I support this reform. Not just because I believe in immigrants, but because I believe in America even more.”